Page 67 of The Cowboy Complication

Walking behind him, she trudged through the garage, following his path to the door. Cooper opened it and stepped inside the laundry room.

She walked past him, hanging her coat up before turning back, facing Cooper just as he peeled away the protective vest layered over his uniform.

That’s when she noticed it wasn’t in its normal state.

“Is that dirt?”

Cooper chuckled. “Yeah.” He set the vest onto the bench running along the wall. “I had to chase some guy across a pasture and we both went to the ground.”

She swallowed hard as he unbuttoned the dark shirt that went under his vest, each flick of his fingers revealing a peek at the black T-shirt beneath it. “Did you get hurt?”

“Just some bruises and scrapes.” He peeled away the layer, tossing it into the open washing machine. “I’ll survive.” His strong hands gripped the cotton covering his stomach and pulled, tugging it free of his pants. “What did you need to tell me?”

Oh God.

That she was an awful person. That she not only tricked him, but did it after he’d put his life on the line chasing some random criminal across a field.

“I messed up.”

“Okay.” Cooper tossed his T-shirt in with his uniform top. “How did you mess up?”

She swallowed hard. Because this might be it. Because Cooper might drive her conniving butt straight home and never look at her again.

And because his abs were ridiculous.

“I went to The Creekery tonight to make you jealous.” She spit it out as fast as she could. The verbal equivalent of ripping off a Band-Aid. “Griselda said she had to threaten to find someone else before my grandpa would admit his feelings for her and I was starting to get frustrated, so…” It sounded so awful when she said it. “I just…”

Her eyes lifted to the ceiling as they started to burn, blinking hard in an attempt to control the moisture trying to break free. Crying would be even dumber than tricking Cooper was. This was her fault. She couldn’t get all whiny about it now.

“Isla.” Cooper’s voice was sharp, making her eyes jump to where he stood, peeling away his pants. “You’ve got three seconds before I’ve got all this off, so you better run.” His gaze was dark as it leveled on her. “Because as soon as I get my hands on you, I’m not letting go until you’re coming on my cock.”

Her brain stumbled over the bluntness of his words. The image they created.

He angled a brow as he peeled away a sock. “I’m serious. Iwillfuck you right here on the laundry room floor.”

Her eyes dropped to the hardwood. It was perfectly clean. But that wasn’t the issue making her pause. It was the lack of comfort. Not for her—she probably deserved to suffer a little—but for the man who’d already gone to the ground once tonight.

So she turned, pulse picking up as she rushed through the house.

“Shoes off, Princess.” Cooper called out after her, a smile in his voice. Like he was enjoying slowing her down. “And just so we’re clear, I’ll fuck you on the stairs too.”

That sounded even more uncomfortable than the wood floor, so she started bouncing on one foot as she gripped the shoe on the other, propelling herself forward as fast as possible while wrestling the cute bootie free. It fell to the floor, and she grabbed the second just as the door of the washer slammed shut.

“You’re running out of time.” Cooper’s voice was taunting. It also carried a hint of a challenge. Like he didn’t believe she’d be difficult to track down.

He might not be wrong, but she hated the thought of him being any more uncomfortable than she’d already made him tonight.

So as soon as the second bootie hit the floor, she took off, running through the kitchen and into the living room. Past the sofa she loved so much to the stairs. Taking them two at a time, her pulse skyrocketing at the sound of bare feet racing her way.

Holy shit he was fast. No wonder Cooper was the one who caught the guy running across the field.

She reached the landing and made a hard right, skidding a little as she rounded the doorway to the main bedroom. After being such a jerk, the least she could do was bust her ass to give Cooper what he might want most in this particular situation.

Besides taking her on just about every surface of his home.

While he seemed pretty darn interested in all sorts of locations, there was one spot she was always in a hurry to be after a rough day. And he was probably the same way. Especially after meeting the icky end of a cow pasture.

Her left foot had just crossed the threshold of the attached bathroom when a hard chest slammed into her back, propelling her forward and fully into the space she’d been aiming for.

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